VU baseball drops second straight at South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Steven Liddle, Aaron Westlake and Jonthan White all hit home runs, but it was not enough as Vanderbilt lost 14-5 to South Carolina on Saturday.

The Commodores matched their season-high with at least one home run in five straight games.

However, they gave up four to the Gamecocks and were well behind before they started to send balls over the fence. White’s two-run shot in the fifth snapped a stretch of 11 straight SC runs. Westlake hit a solo home run in the sixth, and Liddle did the same in the eighth.

Westlake, the designated hitter, was 3-for-3 plus a walk. Liddle had two hits but grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the game.

Starting pitcher Drew Hayes lasted just three innings and allowed three of the Gamecocks’ home runs, including back-to-back blasts to the last two batters he faced.

Left fielder DeAngelo Mack hit two of SC’s home runs. Overall, he was 4-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBIs.

The defeat guaranteed Vanderbilt will not win the series, which is scheduled to end with a 12:30 p.m. (CDT) Sunday contest.